Seed-package.



E. E. & D. E. GRAY.

SEED PACKAGE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.2. 1912. RENEwED ocT. I. |915,

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

UNTTE STATES PATENT FFTCE.

EDWARD E. GRAY, OF PLANO, AND DAVID E. GRAY, 0F HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN SEEDT'APE COMPANY, 0FCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

SEED-PACKAGE.

' Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Application led August 2, 1912, Serial No. 712,991). Renewed October 1,1915. Serial No. 53,657.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, EDWARD E. GRAY and DAVIDE. GRAY, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, ofPlano, in the county of Kendall and State o-f Illinois, and of HighlandPark, in the county of Lake, in said State, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement in Seed-Packages, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to an improved seed package for the purpose offacilitating the planting of .the seeds and consists essentially of astrip of fibrous material adapted to constitute, wholly or in part, theinclosing medium of the seeds.

An essential feature of our invention'consists in so constructing theSeed package that the requisite strength may be imparted thereto bysecuring to it, as it is formed, a reinforcing member, such as a stringor narrow strip lof fibrous or tenacious material. The materiallemployed is a strip of paper either folded to inclose the seeds or twostrips of paper may be so employed and in any event the package issecurely closed by means of a strip of adhesive, as glue, applied to thestrip or strips of paper. i

After the seeds have been secured to the strip of fibrous material, theymay be inclosed in any one of a number of ways either by folding thestrip about the seeds, or by securing to such strip a second similarstrip of fibrous material. The package thus formed, as it leaves themachine, may be wound upon suitable reels to facilitate handling.

Our improved seed package is adapted to be planted by making acontinuous furrow of the .proper depth in the ground and laying thepackage therein, the spacing of the seeds in the forming of the packageserving to properly distribute the seeds in the ground. The materialused to inclose the seeds is of such a nature as to-be readilydisintegrated by the action of the moisture in the ground, as a resultof which no interference is offered to the sprouting andl growth of theSeeds.

The several drawings illustrating our invention are as follows:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a section of the seed tape formed inaccordance with our inadhesive 3, preferably fish glue or the like.

The seeds thus secured to the ta e 2 are 'covered by a second thicknessof brous material 4, which is secured to the tape 2 by means of strips 5of adhesive material,

'preferably fish glue, along the edges of the tape 2. Extending betweenthe tape 2 and the cover strip 4 is a longitudinal reinforcing means 6,ywhich may consist of a string or thread or any suitable strip of fibrousmaterial adapted to increase the tensile strength of the seed package.This reinforcing member may be engaged by the adhesive 3 or not, asdesired. The seed package thus formed has marked advantages over thosebefore produced in that the material Aused to inclose the seeds may berelatively very thin and weak and thus readily disinte-'v grated by theaction of the moisture in the ground, since the longitudinal-reinforcingmember 6 imparts to the package a suiiicient strength to revent it beingaccidentally drawn apart 1n handling the tape.

In order to show the applicability of our means for reinforcing the seedpackage, We have show n in Fig. 3 a form of tape in which the strip offibrous material 2 is wider than that usedin Fig. 1 and, after the seedsl and reinforcing medium 6 are placed thereon, a part of the strip 2 isfolded over the4 seeds and reinforcing medium and held in place by astrip 5 of adhesive material such as glue.

The applicability of our invention is also shown in a' further modifiedform of seed tape indicated in Fig. 4 in which a wider strip of fibrousmaterial is taken than the stri shown in Fig. 3 and after the seeds 1.an reinforcing means 6 are placed thereon, as described in connectionwith Fig. 1, the

package disclosed consists in its flat construction, as a result ofwhich it may be readily wound upon reels and marketed and it is pointedout that any one of the different forms of tape 'shown may be readilyhandled in this way, and that, in connectionwith the modiicatlon shownin Fig. 4, it is desirable that both edges of the material 2 should passentirely over the seeds lin order to produce a tape or package that willwind evenly upon the shipping spool or reel.

Whatever construction is employed inv connection with our improvedreinforcing means, it is desirable that the material covering the seedsbe sufliciently strong to prevent puncture of the material by the seedswhen the seed tape is `wound upon the shipping spool or reel.

While we have shown our seed package in the particular embodimentsherein described, we do not, however, limit ourselves to theseconstructions, but desire to claim an equivalent constructions in whicha re-` inforcing means is used for the tape.

1. Seed tape comprising a plurality of thicknesses of fibrous material,means for securing said thicknesses together, seeds secured betweenthicknesses of said tape, the thicknesses of said tape being disposed toprevent puncture thereof when wound upon thicknesses of said tape beingdisposed to prevent puncture thereof when wound upon a reel, and areinforcing means extending lengthwise of said tape.

4., Seed tape comprising a plurality ofl thicknesses of fibrousmaterial, means for securing said thicknesses together, seeds securedbetween thicknesses of said tape, and .a reinforcingv means extending'lengthwise of said tape.

5. Seed tape comprising a plurality of thicknesses of fibrous materialsecured together by an adhesive, seeds secured between thicknesses ofsaid tape, and a reinforcing means extending lengthwise of said tape.

6. Seed tape comprising a plurality of thicknesses of fibrous material,means for securing said thicknesses together, seeds secured betweenthicknesses of said tape by means of an adhesive, and a reinforcingmeans extending lengthwise of said tape.

7. Seed tape comprising a strip of fibrous material, seeds securedthereto, and reinforcing means applied to said tape and extendinglengthwise thereof.

8. Seed tape comprising a strip of fibrous material, seeds securedthereto by an adhesive, -and a reinforcing means applied to said stripand extending lengthwise thereof.

9. Seed tape comprising a strip of paper, seeds secured thereto, and astring applied to said strip and extending lengthwise thereof.

l0. Seed tape comprlsing a plurality of thicknesses of paper, means forsecuring said thicknesses together, seeds secured between thicknesses ofsaid paper, and a string applied to said Vtape and extending lengthwisethereof.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this 29th day ofJuly,

EDWARD E. GRAY. vDAVID E. GRAY.

Witnesses:

S. J. DoRvIs, MARY H. BIxEL.

